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Over 200 die in Congo fire
More than 200 people have died in the Republic of Congo after a munitions depot caught fire and caused several large explosions, a Associated Press reported.
A series of explosions in at the Mpila military barracks in Brazzaville, to the east of the Congonese capital, left more than 200 people dead, hundreds more injured and extensive damage to the town.
Hundreds more have been injured by the disaster at the Mpila military barracks in the east of the Congolese capital, Brazzaville.
Officials placed the death toll at 206.
At least five strong explosions were heard between 8am and 10.45am local time.
In addition to the blasts, there were other weaker detonations which continued into the late morning.
A European diplomat said firefighters were finding it hard to fight the blaze because of ongoing explosions.
Betu Bangana, head of protocol in the president's office in Brazzaville, said that buildings had also been destroyed with people trapped in their houses.
The explosions were so strong that they shattered windows in Kinshasa, the capital of neighbouring country Democratic Republic of Congo , across the river from Brazzaville.
Both governments called for residents to stay calm, but there has been no official word on the cause of the fire and explosions, or damage.
The Republic of Congo , a former French colony, is one of sub-Saharan Africa's top oil producers.
